We are very happy to announce our first intern! While it was challenging to select just one person out of so many qualified and passionate candidates, ultimately Syracuse University student Mallory Arents stood out as the best fit for the role.

Right now Mallory is working with EveryLibrary founder John Chrastka to determine a project to focus on over the course of the internship. After the internship officially starts, she’ll be posting here on Hack Library School about her experience—but since that may not be for a while we wanted to give readers an initial introduction to Mallory. Please help us in welcoming her!

Mallory, in her own words

I am a graduate student pursuing a Masters of Library and Information Science at Syracuse University. In past lives, I’ve been an English teacher in South Korea, a bartender in Florida, and director of social media in Connecticut. Passionate about education, relationships, and technology, I was led, almost naturally, to librarianship.

I believe that information and knowledge should be readily accessible to all. While my time at Syracuse University’s iSchool has certainly provided me with a breadth of knowledge and experience, the most valuable thing I’ve taken away is a passion for library advocacy. I’m known among my peers as being opinionated and loud, and I’m unafraid to speak my mind and argue in favor of our profession, institutions, and fair and equal access to information. On Tuesday, March 5th, I traveled to Albany, NY, to share these views with state legislators. As a result of this experience, I was offered a position on CLRC’s (Central New York Library Resources Council) Committee on Legislative Action. Furthermore, I recently accepted a two-year position with ALA’s Committee on Library Advocacy.

I view libraries as being the great democratic-equalizer. No matter your socio-economic status, what you look like, or where you come from, they are there for you, whether you seek a book, a database, an internet connection, or a quiet nook. This will never stop being relevant or meaningful.

The EveryLibrary/Hack Library School internship is a unique opportunity which seems to directly address my interests and background experience. I hope to focus my internship on legislative authority for library districts, voter attitudes about libraries, or the creation of campaign tools.

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Congratulations, Mallory! EveryLibrary and Hack Library are lucky to have a dynamic, talented person like Mallory working on their team. Mallory brings passion and dedication to every endeavor she chooses, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll accomplish.